“Reality spontaneously shines throughout, with no “I” or “they” — one need not seek it thought after thought.” – Zhang Boduan

The sun does not choose where to shine. It simply shines. It belongs to another realm. When the sun shines on the worlds below, it touches everything. It is quite astounding that even shadows obey the movement of the sun, and are not cast in a random fashion where they please. There is a harmony in all that the eye perceives with even the minutest thing obedient to the sun. 

A blade of grass that blossoms in the most impossible crack along the sidewalk reaffirms that harvesting sunlight is possible no matter the circumstance, and opportunity abounds equally everywhere. 

In esoteric teachings, the sun refers to the light of one’s own presence and the shadow is the lower self. Presence just is, and it too does not choose where it shines. Thoughts that focus on oneself are governed by ‘I,’ and block light from radiating. What is key is everyone is born with higher centres and its light is available throughout one’s life. Just like the blade of grass, it is possible to blossom anywhere. 

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

Focusing on the Light

Spiritual works across traditions and art forms remind us to stay focused on the light. The lower self is a necessary denying force through which the light shines with more beauty, clarity and strength. While shadows will continue to come wherever there is light, but one’s task is to stay with the light.

“World 12 is delightful, full of light.” – Robert Burton

The light the face carries when touched by joy. The warmth of humble gratitude that lifts one up when all else fails. Letting go of complexities and allowing for simplicity. 

How does one keep one’s face turned to the light? As easy as this sounds, one of the peculiar difficulties that can be quite common is the inability to distinguish the light from the dark. On a foggy day, everything appears as a rather uniform grey. There is nothing that distinctly glistens with light. When the inner world is foggy, this can translate into not being able to have the right valuation, not being able to feel the sacred pulse within the present moment. Separation of the mundane from the divine becomes more difficult, and the interests of the lower self can carry us away. 

The Light of Higher Centers

Clarity, love, service and simplicity are some of the attributes of higher centres. These help to stay tuned to the sun and can guide one with choosing the higher right. When one cannot find the sun in the horizon, one can look for what is sublime in the moment – a little act of selflessness, acknowledging someone else’s presence, the joy of listening to the wind whisper. 

Radhika Shah is a writer in India, and a student of the Fourth Way for several decades. See her earlier articles for FourthWayToday.org at https://fourthwaytoday.org/author/radhika-shah/, including  https://fourthwaytoday.org/who-am-i/.